Only 325,630 people were imprisoned in America in 1970.

Evidence

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ report “Historical Statistics on Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions, 1925–86” (www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/hspsfiy25-86.pdf`#page`=17), there were 176,403 people held in state prisons and 20,038 people held in federal prisons in 1970. And according to the BJS report “Historical Corrections Statistics in the United States, 1850–1984” (Table 4-1, www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/hcsus5084.pdf`#page`=91), there were 129,189 people held in local jails in 1970. So combined, there were a total of 325,630 people held in prisons and jails in 1970. — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 2039